1. Field of the Invention
Timed medicant dispensing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the treatment of certain patients, it is necessary that they take prescribed medicants at timed intervals.
A major object of the present invention is to supply an electrically operated device in which the medicant in prescribed quantities is disposed within hollow plastic balls that serve as carriers therefor, with the balls being consecutively dispensed to the patients at timed intervals, and each dispensing of the ball being accompanied by the generation of an audible signal to remind the patient to take the medicant.
Another object of the invention is to provide the dispensing of a medicant by use of an opaque disk in which circumferentially spaced apertures are formed therein under the direction of the prescribing physician, and the spacing between the apertures determining the time intervals at which the medicant is dispensed as the disk is slowly rotated by an electrically driven timer mechanism.
A still further object of the invention is to furnish a device in which either a single medicant or a number of different medicants may be dispensed at timed intervals, and the timed intervals not necessarily being equal, but of such magnitude as the prescribing physician may desire.
A still further object of the invention is to supply the medicant to the patient in a clean and sanitary condition as each dose of the medicant until just prior to use is contained within a hollow plastic ball, which ball is defined by two interlocking halves that may be easily separated by the patient to remove the medicant therefrom.
Another object of the invention is to supply a medicant dispensing device in which the medicant is dispensed to the patient at desired time intervals and at each dispensing an audible alarm being generated that continues until the patient removes the medicant from the pivotally supported tray into which it is dispensed.